Shareef Abdur-Rahim had 24 points and nine rebounds as Vancouver
snapped its 13-game losing streak with an 88-77 victory over the
Denver Nuggets, who dropped their 21st straight and inched
within two games of the Grizzlies' single-season NBA record.

With the loss, the Nuggets have sole possession of the
second-longest in-season skid in league history. The Grizzlies
dropped an NBA-record 23 straight from February 16th-April 2nd,
1996. The all-time record for consecutive losses is 24 by the
Cleveland Cavaliers, who dropped the final 19 games of the
1981-82 season and the first five of the following season.

The Nuggets, who also fell to 0-21 on the road, put themselves
in position to take over the record by the end of the week.
Denver hosts Detroit on Wednesday and visits Phoenix on Friday
and the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday.

"Before every game we're going in thinking that we got a good
chance of winning," Denver guard Anthony Goldwire said. "We
know we do, because the score is 0-0. But they did, too."

Sam Mack added 16 points for the Grizzlies, who won for the
first time since December 21st and for just the second time in
18 games.

"They don't ask you at the end of the year how many times you
beat a specific team," said Vancouver coach Brian Hill,
referring to the fact that three of his team's 11 wins have come
courtesy of Denver. "They only ask you how many games you won
and how many games you lost. This was a game we were supposed
to win and we won. That's the way I look at it. A win is a win
is a win."

Vancouver scored the final five points of the first quarter to
grab a 28-23 lead after a three-point play by Abdur-Rahim.
Abdur-Rahim added six points and George Lynch five in the second
period as the Grizzlies extended their lead to 50-42 at
halftime.

Abdur-Rahim opened the second half with a layup and a dunk to
make it 54-42 with 10:06 left in the quarter. The Nuggets
scored three straight points before Vancouver used a 14-4 surge
to open a 19-point lead.

Mack started the run with a steal and dunk, and after a jumper
by Denver's Eric Washington, Mack buried a three-pointer to open
a 61-47 lead with 5:37 left in the period. Pete Chilcutt
converted a three-point play to extend the lead to 17 points
before rookie Antonio Daniels knocked down an eight-footer to
make it 66-47.

LaPhonso Ellis hit a pair of free throws for the Nuggets before
Abdur-Rahim's layup capped the run and gave the Grizzlies a
68-49 advantage with 3:41 remaining in the third. Denver shot
just 3-of-15 in the quarter and trailed 73-54 entering the final
period.

Abdur-Rahim was asked if he felt sorry for the Nuggets.

"We just went out there with an attitude of trying to end the
losing streak and move onto something different," he said. "We
needed a win and they needed a win. If they beat us, I don't
feel like they would have felt sorry for us."

But the Nuggets opened the fourth with a 12-2 burst, fueled by
six points from rookie Danny Fortson, to close within 75-66.
Denver went on to score 19 of the first 26 points of the period
and crept within 80-73 on a free throw by Ellis with 4:07
remaining.

Denver was still within seven at 84-77 after Ellis sank a pair
of foul shots with 2:22 to go. But Lynch hit a pair and Daniels
made a layup to push the lead to 88-77 with 1:30 left. The
Nuggets blew any chance of a comeback by committing four
turnovers in the final 1:52.

Ellis has 21 points and a career-high eight assists and rookie
Tony Battie added 17 points and nine rebounds for the Nuggets,
who shot 40 percent (27-of-68). Denver had 21 assists but was
also guilty of 21 turnovers.